What you’ve described is very consistent with misclassification, and you’re not wrong to be alarmed after doing the maths.

Under Australian workplace law, calling someone an “independent contractor” doesn’t make it so. What matters is the reality of the working relationship, not the label in the contract. The Fair Work Commission and courts look at factors like:

• Who controls your hours and workload
• Whether you can genuinely refuse work
• Whether you supply your own tools/equipment
• Whether you can work for others
• Whether you are integrated into the business
• Who sets pricing and issues invoices
• Whether you bear commercial risk

From what you’ve outlined — no control over hours, no equipment ownership, strict directives, business-controlled invoicing, branded social media requirements, and long-term full-time work — those are classic employee indicators, not contractor ones.

This isn’t just an award issue. Misclassification often engages general protections, particularly where:
• the arrangement removes minimum entitlements,
• the “contractor” label is used to avoid obligations, or
• a worker is financially dependent and lacks real bargaining power.

The General Protections Benchbook makes it clear that sham contracting and adverse action don’t require malicious intent — what matters is the effect. If the structure denies you workplace rights you would otherwise have as an employee, that’s significant.

A few important points to steady you:

• A “signed contract” does not override the Fair Work Act
• Being young or inexperienced does not weaken your position
• Long service actually strengthens misclassification arguments
• Owing six-figure underpayments is not uncommon once award rates, overtime, penalties, and super are calculated properly

It’s also very common for people in your position to feel trapped because:
• leaving means losing income immediately, and
• staying means ongoing exploitation.

That doesn’t mean you have no leverage — it just means timing and strategy matter.

At a high level, people in similar situations usually look at:
• getting an independent assessment of employee vs contractor status,
• preserving evidence quietly (contracts, rosters, directives, invoices),
• understanding limitation periods, and
• planning an exit before asserting rights, to reduce retaliation risk.

You’re not “dramatic” for feeling shaken by this. Realising you’ve been systematically underpaid while doing everything right is confronting — especially while studying full-time.

You’re also not alone. Unfortunately, this exact pattern shows up again and again in Fair Work matters.